Crystal Pier Hotel & Cottages
Keeper of the Flame Award

ONE OF SAN DIEGO’S BELOVED COASTAL LANDMARKS, the Crystal Pier Hotel & Cottages is being resoundingly applauded with SOHO’s Keeper of the Flame Award for its owners' extraordinary role in preserving the unique character, architecture, and legacy of this intriguing attraction for more than six decades.

Built in 1927 as part of a grand vision for a beachfront entertainment destination, Crystal Pier Hotel & Cottages began welcoming overnight guests in 1930 to its over-the-ocean cottages lining its pier, an innovative concept. Despite changes in ownership and pressures from development, the pier and its cottages in Pacific Beach have endured, to the delight of all ages for generations.

Left to right Julie Neal, Bill and Claudia Allen, and Jim Bostian

Since 1961, the Crystal Pier has remained under family ownership, and through their consistent stewardship, the site has retained both its architectural integrity and its original function as a place of respite and recreation directly over the Pacific Ocean. The iconic blue-and-white Cape Cod-style cottages have been carefully maintained and renovated over the years, preserving their historic form while incorporating modest updates that support their continued use.

Now nearing the century mark, the 871-foot wooden pier's layered history includes past lives as Pickering’s Pleasure Pier, with a ballroom and midway amusements, and a brief run as the Crystal Ballroom, all of which disappeared long ago. Thanks to ongoing preservation efforts by the Allen and Bostian families, what has remained is the original character and experience of Crystal Pier as both a public boardwalk and a privately run seaside hotel—a fusion of historic structure and living landmark.

All photos by Sandé Lollis except Jim Bostian above, courtesy Bill and Claudia Allen; and second from left, courtesy San Diego History Center

THE NOVEL HOTEL plays a vital role in heritage tourism and contributes meaningfully to the cultural economy, radiating from Pacific Beach through the city and region. From its enduring architectural presence and unique lodging model to its survival as a working pier and public coastal space, the Crystal Pier Hotel & Cottages stands as a rare example of historic continuity in a constantly changing coastal landscape. It remains an essential piece of San Diego’s beach heritage that is both historically significant and still vibrantly alluring to today's guests.

For ensuring this one-of-a-kind San Diego treasure stays alive and well, SOHO honors Bill and Claudia Allen, Julie Neal, and Jim Bostian with the Keeper of the Flame Award.